Brit woman sent two Lankans to UK illegally

A British woman, arrested with three other UK nationals in a case of alleged human smuggling, had helped two Sri Lankans fly to the UK with fake passports in January.

The Police said that Julie Ann Warner (36), a tourist guide, has confessed that she became a carrier after meeting a Sri Lankan agent, Logorajan, six months ago.

Warner and three other Britishers were arrested at Sahar Airport in Mumbai on 15 March for allegedly helping four Lankans migrate to the UK, using forged passports.

Senior inspector of Sahar Police Station, B.T. Mukhedkar, said the UK nationals were 'not cooperating' in the probe.

The Police said that agents wanted in the case had demanded Rs 17 lakh each from the Lankans to help them reach the UK with fake passports which identified them as the four arrested UK nationals.

The Lankans, on reaching the UK, planned to surrender before the authorities there, and claim that they had flown there due to a threat to their lives from Lankan Tigers, and hoped "to get political asylum there".

Public prosecutor Neeta Masarkar said the fake Indian passports had fake immigration stamps. Counsel for the British nationals, Prabhakar Tripathi, said his clients were victims as the agents had duped them. (ToI)